Description:
Also available in AUDIO ONLY format.
Conference on June 3, 2010: “Ask the Experts” Question and Answer Panel Discussion (Session Two).
About the Speakers / Presenters:
Participating in this panel session are David Hofmann, Dr. Yilong Chen and Gregory Gruska.
DAVID JOHN HOFMANN
InterChina Consulting
Mr. Hofmann has extensive work experience in both Hong Kong and Mainland China having lived and worked in the region since 1984 for over 16 years for both large and small multinational companies. His experience is in both line and management positions in a wide range of industries including textiles, automotive and healthcare.
Mr. Hofmann joined InterChina Consulting in 2005 and relocated to the United States in late 2006 to establish its USA subsidiary in Washington DC. Prior to joining InterChina, Mr Hofmann held a variety of positions with Chindex International based in Beijing and Hong Kong, Dalian Morgan Refractories, based in Dalian, China as well as with Chrysler Motors Corporation based in Detroit. A fluent Mandarin speaker well versed in cross-cultural management, Mr. Hofmann has served as a Board Member and Vice President of Programs and Activities for the American Chamber of Commerce, Beijing as well as a past Chairman of the China Business Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. Mr. Hofmann holds a BA from Michigan State University and an MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business.
InterChina Consulting is a boutique management consultancy specializing in strategy, corporate M&A and human resource services for companies doing business in China. Since being founded in 1994, InterChina has emerged as one of the leading consultancies in China. InterChina has developed expertise in select sectors to further our delivery of pioneering and practical solutions. These sectors include Automotive & Components, Machinery & Machine Tools, Chemicals, Energy & Power, Healthcare, Food & Beverage, Distribution Services and Financial Services.
Dr. YILONG CHEN
AIAG Asia Pacific
Yilong Chen received his Ph.D. degree in System and Control from Washington University, St. Louis, USA in 1984 and joined General Motors R&D Center in Detroit.
Dr. Chen was the pioneer of using robotics and CAD for concept car design in the world. From 1995 to 1998, he was also one of the pioneers in developing GM’s business in China. As the Chief Scientist and Director of Technology Development and Partnership of GM’s China Operations, he established and managed GM/Delphi-Tsinghua Technology Institute in Beijing and GM-Shanghai Jiaotong Powertrain Technology Institute in Shanghai. He initiated and managed technology collaborations with Chinese partners for GM. He also launched and managed the GM China Science & Technology award program with the Natural Science Foundation of China. After he went back to US in 1999, Dr. Chen developed and managed technical collaboration with GM’s alliances in Japan.
Dr. Chen received the GM President Council honor, which recognizes employees who represent the “Best of the Best” in terms of performance at all levels throughout GM. As a GM technical fellow, he led research in the areas of robotics, RFID and supply chain quality in GM Tech Center. He also received the GM McCuen Award, which provides recognition for extraordinary technical accomplishments and their economic impact to the company. Because of his outstanding technical contributions, Dr. Chen was elected an IEEE Fellow in 1999.
As a Senior Assistant to the head of GM R&D Center, Dr. Chen also assisted in planning, coordinating and managing GM R&D projects, especially for exploratory/ innovative research. Dr. Chen joined AIAG in 2006. Since then, as the General Director, Asia Pacific of AIAG, Dr. Chen has developed extensive relation and collaboration with Chinese government, organizations and automotive industry, and promoted auto supply chain standard and assisted AIAG’s member companies auto part import/export, sourcing and supplier development in China .
GREGORY GRUSKA
OMNEX
Mr. Gruska, a Fellow of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), is presently the COO of Omnex Systems and a principal consultant in performance excellence and Six Sigma Master Blackbelt for Omnex Engineering and Management, Inc.
Mr. Gruska had been associated with Dr. W. E. Deming and has assisted in the Transformation of Management since 1981. He has personally assisted large and small companies in North America and Europe in this transformation including the development and implementation of strategy, benchmarking, process control planning, and customer satisfaction. Further, he has worked with companies in the preparation of internal or external assessment utilizing criteria such as QS-9000, ISO/TS 16949, Total Quality Excellence, and MBNQA and has helped organizations using Six Sigma performance improvement strategies.
He directed and was the primary resource for the development and initial implementations of Comprehensive Process Control Planning ((CP)2). This approach provides a structure for the logical determination and implementation of process controls within an environment of continuous improvement. Following the precepts taught by Dr W. E. Deming, (CP)2 enables an organization to establish what is needed to control its processes and then integrate these plans within the normal operations. The Ford Motor Company, Transmission and Chassis Division, pioneered its use with the launch of the transaxle used in the Taurus/Sable vehicles. This structure enabled the plant to achieve Best-In-Class status for this transmission within the first year of production and subsequently to continue to improve its quality and productivity.
Prior to joining OMNEX, Mr. Gruska managed the Quality Engineering Activity at Chevrolet. This group provided benchmarking, quality engineering and statistical support to all divisional and corporate activities and their suppliers. Besides the application of statistics within the design, manufacturing, and support environments, this group was active in the development of new technologies and training in these areas. Mr. Gruska additional served as a Divisional and Corporate consultant in Statistical Engineering and Management. He has traveled extensively in assisting engineering, financial, and support staffs and manufacturing plants in the investigation and solution of problems affecting quality and customer satisfaction.
Mr. Gruska has been involved in the development of theory and software and authored many papers in the areas of non-normal and multivariate sampling and data analysis, quality management, measurement systems analysis, inspector effectiveness and statistical process control. He is the author of Theory D which discusses the teachings of Dr. W. Edwards Deming and is the editor and principal author of Comprehensive Process Control Planning -(CP)2. He is also the co-author of The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award: The Yardstick for Quality Growth, available through Addison-Wesley. Mr. Gruska is also an active/writing member of the QS-MSA and QS-SPC Manual subcommittees of the American Automotive industry’s Supplier Quality Requirements Task Force which is part of the international task force governing TS-16949.
Mr. Gruska is an adjunct professor at Madonna University. He has advanced degrees in mathematics and engineering from the University of Detroit, Michigan State University and Wayne State University. He was the Deming Memorial Lecturer at the Sheffield Hallam University for the year 2000.
Mr. Gruska is a charter member of the Greater Detroit Deming Study Group and the W. E. Deming Institute. He is a ASQ certified Quality Engineer, a licensed Professional Engineer (CA – Quality) and a member of the Board of Examiners of and Judge for the Michigan Quality Leadership Award (1994-2005).